


Tragedy

by VeggiesforPresident (luridCavum)



Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Angst, Gen, M/M, POV Second Person, Prose Poem, narrative poem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-18 01:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18110351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luridCavum/pseuds/VeggiesforPresident
Summary: You've spent your time in juvie reading Shakespeare, so now, you think you know a tragedy when you see one.





	Tragedy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Shakespeare's Got Nothing on Us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14696058) by [VeggiesforPresident (luridCavum)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/luridCavum/pseuds/VeggiesforPresident). 



look.  
you’ve never been one for stories  
but they give you a whole lotta nothing to do in juvie,  
so you spent your time reading Shakespeare,  
and now you think  
you know a tragedy  
when you see one.

let’s get one thing straight,  
it’s not him.  
he’s not the tragedy.

no, he’s  
a dog that’s been kicked too many times  
that everyone’s trying to take home  
and love back to life.

he’s  
damn quiet and damn small  
but he’s got thoughts in his head  
with a poetry that could rival Willy Shakes.

so no, he’s not the tragedy.

the tragedy is  
_these violent delights have violent ends_  
your first memory  
being you pushing another kid down on the playground  
and wailing on him until blood gushed from his nose.

the tragedy is  
_the conscience of the king_  
how you’ll smoke on the fire escape  
of your mom’s apartment,  
dropping ashes onto someone’s head  
from five stories above  
laughing when they yelp and swear at you  
\-- you give points for creativity.

the tragedy is  
_blood will have blood_  
how every cop on this side of town  
knows your name.

the tragedy is  
_love will not be spurred to what it loathes_  
every Saturday night getting blasted,  
grinding and necking with a girl  
you won’t remember by morning--  
not even because you want to  
but because it’s something to do. 

the tragedy is  
_some Cupids kill with arrows_  
how the sleep-til-noon,  
live-on-mickey-d’s-and-coffee you  
will drive a burnt grilled cheese  
over to the high school  
because he’ll smile at you  
when you hand it to him

the tragedy is  
_love is like a child, that longs for everything it can come by_  
how you think you deserve  
to love him like you do.

so, no,

the tragedy isn’t him.

the tragedy is you.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! ive been editing this one for like three days and i think its finally saying what i want it to say.  
> fun fact: this was the actual first draft/inspiration for my other outsiders fic, Shakespeare's Got Nothing On Us :)


End file.
